Arsène Wenger believes that Arsenal's thrilling win against Chelsea can prove
a defining moment in the development of his new squad thanks to the
self-confidence it will give the players.

The Arsenal team celebrated ecstatically in front of their own fans at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge after Saturday's 5-3 victory, and although Wenger stressed that they had won nothing yet, he acknowledged the symbolic importance of defeating one of their main rivals.

He said that the moment held particular significance as it was the club's first really big win following the summer departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

"There was uncertainty about whether they can win a big game," he said. "For us it was a massive test. First, to see if we can compete in terms of quality with top teams, as nobody knew before the game, and secondly to see if we were capable of winning when we play well. And we did.

"I knew we had the potential to do well but it is important as well because I am not the only one who has an influence on the team. The environment does as well. If you read every day you are bad, at the end of the week, you will start to believe it.

"You want the players to be happy. There is a need for us to communicate with our fans again and that was a good chance. We wanted that. After that, we have won nothing. We must just use it as a springboard towards our target. The players know that."

Arsenal will be aiming to extend a sequence of five straight wins when they play Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with Wenger facing a major dilemma over whether to rest key players. He will make a final decision this morning but the memory of last season, when he rotated players and Arsenal eventually faced Barcelona in the last 16 after qualifying as group runners-up, is not far from his mind.

"I did it away from home, at Donetsk, and got punished," said Wenger. "We paid a heavy price. We want first to qualify but you could finish first [in the group] and still play Barca. I am tempted to stick with the same team. Sometimes if you take a team on a roll there is no need to change it. That is what I have to decide."

Thomas Vermaelen is in contention to start, but Abou Diaby has suffered a setback following ankle surgery and will be out for another three weeks.

"I am worried [about Diaby], but was more worried three months ago. His ankle was not good. The surgery went very well, but now his balance has changed so he has to adjust his muscular strength. He has had two setbacks with the hamstring."

Marouane Chamakh has a knee injury, leaving Ju Young Park as the obvious alternative if Wenger rests Robin Van Persie, a player he described as the "perfect" captain.

"Robin van Persie has always scored goals but unfortunately he has always had a medical record," said Wenger. "That's why people suddenly discover that he is exceptional. For the first time he has played since the start of the year. In 2011 he has played nearly all the games."